Ohio Governor Appointments and House and Senate Leadership Teams

Report on Government

January 2019

Governor-Elect DeWine Names Key Cabinet and Staff Members

Governor-elect Mike DeWine, who will be sworn in officially as 70th Governor of Ohio on January 14, has announced all but one nomination for his cabinet officers. Only the Ohio Department of Health remains without a nomination for its new leader. Among the nominations are current and former legislators, current directors continuing in their roles and long-time DeWine staffers in the Attorney General’s Office. One important announcement is that Lt. Governor-elect Jon Husted will serve in several important roles in addition to his duties as Lt. Governor – as the Director of InnovateOhio, the new initiative to make
state government a more effective and efficient leader in using technology to improve customer service and save tax dollars, in the Office of Workforce Transformation, and as Director of the Common Sense Initiative, which reviews proposed regulations for business impact. The proposed appointments include:

Adjutant General – Gen. John C. Harris, Jr.

Administrative Services – Matthew Damschroder

Aging – Ursel McElroy

Agriculture – Dorothy Pelanda

Budget and Management – Kimberly Murnieks

Commerce – Sheryl Creed Maxfield

Development Services – Lydia Mihalik

Developmental Disabilities – Jeffrey Davis

EPA – Laurie Stevenson

Higher Education – Senator Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green)

Insurance – Jillian Froment

Job and Family Services –
Kimberly Hall

Medicaid – Maureen Corcoran

Mental Health and Addiction Services – Lori Criss

Natural Resources – Mary Mertz

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities – Kevin Miller

Public Safety – Thomas J. Stickrath

Rehabilitation and Correction – Annette Chambers-Smith

Taxation – Jeff McClain

Transportation – Jack Marchbanks

Veteran Services – Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Deborah Ashenhurst

Workers Compensation – Stephanie McCloud

Youth Services – Ryan Gies

Governor-elect DeWine also has named the following individuals to key positions in the Governor’s Office:

The Ohio House of Representatives and Senate opened the 133rd General Assembly on Monday, January 7 by swearing in all members and electing the majority and minority leadership teams. This included the election of the new Speaker of the House, which had been a contentious contest between Speaker Ryan Smith (R-Bidwell) and Representative Larry Householder (R-Glendford), who served as Speaker from 2001-2004. In the end, Representative Householder was elected by a vote of 52-46 by winning the support of a majority of the Democratic members. Householder announced that he was delaying the vote on the rest of the leadership team, citing
the need for the caucus to regroup after the split vote.

The House Minority Caucus selected their leaders at the end of last year, with Representative Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) retaining his position as Minority Leader. However, he has just announced that he is stepping down as Leader at the end of January.

In the Senate, President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) and Minority Leader Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights) each retained their positions.